The Best and The Worst: Frenchy's Chicken

Chain restaurants: How we love to hate them, but no one can deny that chain restaurants can sometimes offer just what we're looking for -- convenient and recognizable foods that even the fussiest eater will agree with. Most would think that a chain restaurant would also offer consistency, but that is not always case. Not all locations are created equal, and we come to know certain locations of a chain as "the best" and "the worst."

Frenchy's may not be the first name to come to mind when you think of a chain, but since 2006, the Frenchy's name has been licensed for franchising and there are now five other locations throughout the Houston area.

The original location at 3919 Scott Street was opened in 1969 by Percy "Frenchy" Creuzot Jr. and has become a Houston institution. It's true that some things just can't be duplicated.

The Original Frenchy's on Scott St.

So it goes without saying the original location is the best location. It's old and a little rundown, the parking lot has only one way in and one way out, which the drive thru window blocks, and in the excruciating Houston summers you can break a really good sweat waiting in line for your chicken. But these are the things that brings this location its charm -- that and the food, of course.

The fried chicken has a perfectly seasoned and crunchy exterior with a moist and a piping-hot juicy interior. The sides are exactly what you would imagine a Southern grandmother would cook -- red beans, dirty rice and greens. Frenchy's chicken is good, really good. Some say it's the best in Houston, but no one can doubt it's comfort food.

It's hard to say any location of Frenchy's is truly bad when you're craving it, but the location on the Southwest Freeway leaves a lot to be desired. The food itself will get you through a serious craving but the original, it is not. The seasonings seem a little off, and the sides don't have that same down-home feel.

It is a random location located on the corner of Wilcrest right on the feeder. Where the original had seats in its open-air patio area, this location is so small that eating inside at the few benches set up is cramped and uncomfortable. It's best to take your order home and satiate your craving in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

According to the website, there are plans to open several more Frenchy's in the next few years, let's hope that they can live up to the real thing.

Readers, we ask you: What are some other best and worst locations of Houston chain restaurants? Let us know in the comments, and we might visit them.